Due to a “mistake”, in the Barrio Obrero hospital they mixed the anti-COVID vaccines, and applied second doses of the biological Sinopharm to 48 workers in white who had applied Coronavac in their first dose. The workers reported the irregularity to the secretariat of the Doctors’ Union, which confirmed the veracity of the fact.
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April 13, 2021 – 17:21
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The general secretary of the Union of Physicians, doctor Rossana Gonzalez, informed ABC Color that last Sunday, 48 workers in white at the Hospital de Barrio Obrero were immunized with the second dose of the anti-COVID vaccine. But, instead of applying Coronavac, which was the first biological that had been applied, by mistake they were given Sinopharm, a vaccine that is also of Chinese origin.
According to the reports of the workers in white, it seemed strange to all that, when they went to get vaccinated, the box of the drug was not the same as the one they were given the first time. Many even asked why there were differences, being that worldwide it is recommended that both doses applied be from the same laboratory. As an answer they only received that they did not worry, because it was “the Chinese vaccine”.
They realized the mistake
Although some were convinced by the answer, many others were not, so they turned to the general secretary of the Doctors’ Union, Rossana González, and the complaint about the irregularity was transferred to her.
The doctor confirmed that the fact is true, and that of the 48 workers in white who were immunized in this way, no one dares to speak to the press due to the great fear that exists of losing their jobs.
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The doctor pointed out that, although everything is still under study regarding the coronavirus and there is no absolute scientific certainty, nowhere in the world are they mixing different brands of vaccines, so this practice is not recommended.
The doctor confirmed that indeed the mixture of doses was a mistake of the personnel, and attributed the error to the overload of work that the health workers have, who no longer provide enough in the midst of the sanitary collapse that is experienced in all the healthcare centers.
They met to find solutions
The doctor said that this Tuesday there was a meeting in the Barrio Obrero hospital, between hospital authorities and the workers who were vaccinated, with the aim of agreeing on a solution for the error.
At the discretion of the secretary of the Medical Union, the mistake has been made and what remains is to carry out an exhaustive control of the people who were vaccinated, in order to rule out adverse effects or in any case attend to them.
In his opinion, people’s lives would not be in danger, since both vaccines have attenuated viruses and what could occur are some effects, but not serious.
The director of the XVIII Health Region, doctor Robert Núñez, said that the priority currently is to have under surveillance “the health of the companions”, monitoring them to determine if there are secondary effects by the erroneous application of the second doses, and to analyze the level of immunity that they can reach in this atypical situation.
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He described the incident as “a wake-up call” and a “pragmatic mistake” that “will not be repeated.”
Dr. Núñez added that an official statement is expected from the Hospital de Barrio Obrero explaining what happened, and an investigation by the hospital and health authorities.
ABC Color tried to talk with the director of the Hospital de Barrio Obrero, Norma Velázquez, but we did not get a response to our calls or messages to his cell phone with 097.
Likewise, we got in touch with Dr. Lucy Trinidad, medical director of the Hospital de Barrio Obrero, who also did not provide us with an answer, saying that the person in charge of speaking with the press would be Dr. Iván Allende.
The epidemiologist Iván Allende answered us exclusively text messages, in which he did not provide an explanation.
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